Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

"How can you be sure that the monk would take such a risk?"

On the way back, Wenren An looked at Li Yu, who was humming a little tune happily, and asked in confusion.

"Don't worry, even if I'm lying, that old guy Daoyue will do everything he can to force Xuanzang to go west." Sitting on his horse, Li Yu patted his chest, looking confident and determined.

Wenren An nodded. He also thought the old monk would act that way because, in his opinion, not only was the monk's skill unfathomable, but his scheming was also incredibly profound.

There was one thing he still didn't understand: "Why did you trick them into going to that India? And why did you have that monk go through all that trouble, going all the way from the Western Regions?"

"I sent him on a detour through the Western Regions to save him!"

Li Yu said irritably, "Don't you even consider this? If he doesn't go through the Western Regions, where would he go? Tibet? Even with your skills, do you think you could cross that plateau?"

Wenren An shook his head. He had been there with his master before he met Li Yu.

After finally reaching the plateau, the master and apprentice had no time to admire the deep blue sky before they felt their heads become heavy and they struggled to breathe. In the end, despite their skills, they rolled their eyes and fainted.

"Xiao An, let me tell you the truth, even if he manages to cross that plateau, there's still a towering mountain range waiting for him—that's the real insurmountable barrier!"

After saying that, Li Yu began to secretly observe Wenren An.

I thought he would nod and say he understood, but to my surprise, this bastard looked on with longing.

"Don't even think about going to your death. Let me tell you, that place is not something that can be conquered by human power."

After hearing Li Yu's words, Wenren An finally realized what was going on. Thinking back to his embarrassing situation when he climbed that plateau, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​finding out more.

Coming to his senses, he continued, "If the plateau isn't an option, then the Shu Road should be much shorter than the Western Regions, right?"

"really."

Li Yu did not deny it, but then changed the subject, saying, "But the roads to Shu are fraught with danger, and a vegetarian monk like him can't last long."

"Besides, even if he passes through Sichuan, he still needs to go through Nanzhao to get there. The mountains and forests there are hot and humid with many mosquitoes and diseases. Sending him through there would be no different from sending him to his death."

"Huh? Then I don't understand?"

Wenren An scratched his head: "Since the journey is so difficult, why did you still send him? Not only that, you also spared no effort in providing him with financial assistance. Are those Buddhist scriptures really that important to you?"

"What use would I have for those Buddhist scriptures?"

Li Yu explained, "What I want are topographical maps of the Western Regions and information about their national conditions."

"Once my second uncle ascends the throne, he will inevitably take action against the Western Regions within ten years. Xuanzang should return by then."

"Secondly, I need to understand the technologies they possess that we do not."

"If a country wants to develop, it is not enough to just keep doing research on its own, so it can only resort to aggression or diplomacy."

Wenren An shook his head, indicating that he did not understand.

"Forget it, you're a martial artist, it's a complete waste of time talking to you."

Li Yu sighed helplessly, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, although you are nominally my bodyguard, you are only a minor official outside the official ranks. Do you want to get a higher-ranking official position?"

"In no mood!"

Wenren An immediately shook his head: "I have no interest in the imperial court. As for being your bodyguard, I said I'd be here for a year, and that's what I meant. After a year, I'm going back to Jiangnan to see my master and my father. I heard from Immortal Sun that I received a letter from my father saying that he probably won't be the governor of Changzhou for much longer."

"What's wrong?"

Li Yu was somewhat surprised. Because of Wenren An, he had specifically looked into his father, Wenren Si'an, and found that while he wasn't exactly incorruptible as an official, he was at least decent and didn't have any powerful family background. Logically, he should have been a reliable and stable governor.

As soon as he voiced his question, Wenren An shook his head: "A while ago, a few people came to my house to ask my older sister for her hand in marriage. They rushed in and tried to drag her away, which frightened my older sister."

"Fortunately, my father was also a military officer. If he hadn't arrived in time with a few old brothers, my sister would probably have been forcibly taken away!"

At this point, Wenren An clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Who's so blind? They even dare to rob the family members of officials appointed by the imperial court? Don't they have a death wish!" Li Yu was also hearing about such a thing for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel indignant.

"I've seen that person before." Wenren An's hands clenched tighter and tighter: "That person is called Lu Dakai. He comes from the Lu clan of Wu County. This son of a bitch has done a lot of things by bullying men and women because of his status as a member of his clan. He can be said to be able to walk around with impunity in Wu County."

Seeing Wenren An's indignant expression, Li Yu was somewhat puzzled: "He's from a clan in Wu Commandery, what's he doing in your Changzhou? They say 'even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake,' do they not even give face to your father, the governor of Changzhou?"

"Ugh!"

Upon hearing Li Yu's question, Wenren An sighed: "Actually, the Xie family of Jinling is the one who truly has influence in Changzhou. Although my father is the governor of Changzhou, he can't compete with those powerful families."

"That's really strange. If your father was at odds with them, how come he was able to remain in the position of prefect for so long? Didn't they ever consider supporting someone else to become prefect themselves?"

Li Yu discovered that the threat these powerful families posed to the imperial power was indeed not to be underestimated, because according to Wen Ren'an, the main prefectures within the Great Zhou territory, apart from the Jingzhao Prefecture, were probably no different from the tributary prefectures.

Every region has its powerful clans and aristocratic families; what use are local officials then?!

"My father did this because of the Xie family, so their relationship with him was actually quite good. Until one day..."

At this point, Wenren An's eyes gradually turned fierce: "Until one day, the head of the Xie family came to propose marriage, asking my elder sister to become the concubine of his good-for-nothing son."

"His good-for-nothing son, Xie Jun, was known to everyone for his extravagant lifestyle and frequenting brothels. Not only that, he also often exchanged concubines with his cronies. So, after my father found out about this, he still didn't agree to it."

"So ever since then, the Xie family has repeatedly caused trouble for my father, and now they have begun to unite with their in-law families in Wu County to prepare a petition to remove my father from his position as governor."

"Wait a minute!" Li Yu was a little confused by the question and asked again, "Is it the Xie family who wants to marry your sister, or the Lu family?"

Wenren An blushed and replied, "Originally it was the Xie family, but after my father politely declined, that Xie family sent the Lu family to propose marriage. After the Lu family's wedding, they planned to exchange my elder sister for one of his other concubines and send her to the Xie family!"

.........